RECONSIDER SCHOOLS VOTE

The Morning CallTHE MORNING CALL

To the Editor:

Immediately following the public meeting on Dec. 9, the Northampton Area School Board rejected a recommendation by the administration for extensive renovations and construction work at the Lehigh Township Elementary School and the Northampton Area High School. The need for, and scope of, the proposed work were carefully explained to those at the meeting by administration personnel, who then ably defended their position at the question-and-answer session which followed. Board action was by a tie vote of eight members present.

The decision by the board not to improve facilities at the two schools comes at a time when there is a strong consensus that Pennsylvania's schools are not as good as they ought to be. While it is not necessarily true that standards in the Northampton Area Schools will suffer as a result of this action, it will certainly be viewed as a step in the wrong direction by many citizens. It very likely will not be considered favorably by families and businesses looking for places to settle in the Lehigh Valley. There is a real possibility that our high-school graduates will eventually find themselves handicapped in competition with better-trained graduates from neighboring school districts. Mediocre schools are expensive.

This letter is meant to convey disappointment with the School Board, not harsh criticism. Its work is difficult, time consuming and often unrewarded. I do hope that the recommendations of the school administrators can be brought back to life, reconsidered and approved.